Untitled
by vantid
Summary: Set in the alternate future in Ecco: Defender of the future with the Outcast and Clan Dolphins. This is teh time before Ecco arrived, when there is no hope for the Outcasts, and evil dwells within the walls of the Clan city.
1. Default Chapter

Prologue

It started from birth. When she first experienced the water and was forced from protection and familiarity. The harshness. The pain. The culling. Her lungs burned for the first breath of air. But she was denied the sweet oxygen for five minutes. She had to be tested. She had to be strong enough. For five minutes she was held under, kicking and straining against her captors. Even at birth her young mind knew death and the failure of it. She would not die! Even while her lungs burned and her heart faltered, the young one only felt anger. Anger toward her own weakness, anger toward those that held her down, anger that pulled her through the culling ritual. So when she was finally allowed that first precious breath of sweet air, she used it to scream her rage into the dark ocean sky. Her scream echoed throughout the cliffs of the bay, where dozens of lifeless corpses floated among the waves, empty shells of those who had failed. She was the only infant still alive in the birthing pool. She was named Bry'eeba—the screamer.

*******

Chapter One

Blood. Blood was sweet and hot and maddening. Bry'eeba's red eyes searched the dark ocean for a kill. Anything would do, but an Outcast was preferable. At a year old she already displayed the aggression of an officer—a general even. Her stocky body was a pale red mottled with white and yellow. Small spines traversed her back and her fins and flukes were ragged razor edges. She was almost ready to join the Clan. She could feel it. She could take them anytime. But right now…

Bry'eeba focused on the hunt. She sent a blast of sonar into the dark waters. Her mind scanned the image sent back.

There! Behind a large formation of coral a small creature prodded the nooks and crannies. Bry'eeba could just see the green skin of the Outcast dolphin. Its gills worked nervously as it searched for food among the coral. Bry'eeba's heart began to race in excitement. 

The hunt was on!

Stealthily she maneuvered her large form through wavy fronds of giant sea fans. Her coloration helped her to blend in with the gaudy coral surrounding her. She stalked the Outcast with expertise born of a hunter. Her short, powerful jaws tingled with anticipation and she opened and closed them slowly, stretching them, testing them.

The Outcast raised his head above the sea fans, searching the empty water with dark, worried eyes. Nothing. Still tense, he sank to continue his browsing among the coral, snatching small fish and shrimp as he flushed them from their hiding places. He was oblivious to the fact that danger lurked not above but right next to him. Bry'eeba was a scant few meters from him, taking immense pleasure in the hunt.

She observed the little dolphin with eager red eyes. How puny. How weak. He was older than she but was so very small compared to her perfect form. Its gills undulated gently, passing water over the thin membranes hidden within and straining dissolved oxygen to be passed into the blood. Bry'eeba smiled to herself, calculating the Outcast's death. She would ram into the gills, bursting them, leaving him with only one set left. She would half suffocate the stupid creature, toy with it, chase it, and torture it to death.

Blood would run heavy in these waters.

Suddenly the green dolphin's head snapped up. His eyes were wide with fright and his useless blowhole quivered anxiously. He circled around, darting left and right, clearly agitated. He could sense the danger, but from where? Which direction could he flee?

Bry'eeba's smile disappeared. If she was to play this game, she had better act now or lose the opportunity. When the Outcast turned his head, he unwittingly exposed the curve of his neck and his delicate gills.

Bry'eeba charged, silently.

The Outcast was looking into a dense patch of sea-grass when his world exploded with pain. He screamed in agony, his whole left side of his neck felt twisted and numb for a moment before it hit him. 

He could hardly breath.

He turned his pain-glazed eyes to see a huge red Clan dolphin arching her body for another charge.

Bry'eeba's hard beak had done its nasty job. Her punch had ruptured the thin membrane of the inner gill tissue, rendering the organ useless. But her desire was blood, and no blood escaped the pitiful dolphin's body, although internal bleeding was profuse. She readied herself for another charge when the Outcast looked at her with dull, terrified eyes, squawked, and fled.

Joy pleasured her blood-lusting veins. It was playtime.

The green dolphin sped through the dark water, fueled by fear and adrenaline. _Bastard's fast_, thought Bry'eeba as she chased him, darting under rock arches and through clumps of sea grass. But she knew that his body was using more oxygen than the remaining gill could supply. Soon his tiring muscles would falter, and he would be hers. 

The water held the tang of his fear. The Outcast couldn't pick up on exactly where she was because of her deft maneuverability in and out of his field of vision. All he could feel was the massive pain lancing his whole body. His muscles, starved of an adequate supply of oxygen, burned and cramped. His left gill set, however, was excruciatingly painful and he had a bad feeling that it was destroyed. The dark thought frightened him more than the silent beast behind him. If he could just make it to the village…

The hunter took note as the Outcast veered sharply around a large stone buried by sand. 

The little runt was trying to escape! 

That would not do.

Enraged, Bry'eeba screamed a menacing, blood chilling cry. Half roar, half shrill dolphin shriek, it served no purpose but to express her anger and show the Outcast her full intentions. She pumped her tail ever harder, abandoning her hide-and-seek method she employed before. She targeted the fleeing Outcast in a straight arrow fashion, relishing the rush of the chase.

Panicking, the Outcast knew death was on his tail. The scream filled his very being, primal and raw. He swerved over a patch of tall blue-scaled coral towers, trying to lose the mad beast pursuing him. If he could just make it to the village…

But that thought was no comfort. He knew he could not make it in time. His body was on fire and his vision was blurred. Setting his teeth in grim determination, he stopped swimming and turned on his tail to face Bry'eeba.

Bry'eeba saw the green dolphin stop. She was a little disappointed that he had given up already, thus ending the chase, but her game was far from over. She rushed him, jaws wide. The Outcast had meant to fight, but Bry'eeba was much faster than he had anticipated.

She scored a direct hit. Her jaws closed over the soft flesh of his forehead, the melon. Blood began to cloud the water, but it was a bare mist. She shook her head back and forth, worrying the soft flesh like a shark. She then let go and backed off, circling her prey to gaze at her handy work.

The Outcast waved his remaining set of gills sporadically, his teardrop eyes blinking with dark pain and anger. His forehead had been punctured by Bry'eeba's long, sharp teeth and trickled thin blood. He stared at the Clan dolphin as she circled him, her red and white body with its spines and stripes. He looked for a way to attack her, perhaps somehow escape. She was so much larger than he was…was it possible to have even a glimmer of hope? He followed her movements carefully, keeping his flippers low with defeat, trying to hide his intentions. 

However, Bry'eeba could tell by other telltale body signs that the Outcast planned to attack. She was very pleased indeed! She would allow him one hit. My, she was feeling generous. The sweet taste of blood had tickled her tongue and she wanted more…even if it were her own bitter ichor. She intentionally dropped her guard, turning her back to him, pretending to wheel around for another attack.

The Outcast snarled to himself when he saw the creature expose her soft belly flesh as she turned in the water, preparing to attack him again. Immediately he charged, dipping his head to allow the row of horny points on his forehead to gouge deep.

Bry'eeba exploded into action. Upon feeling the first flame of pain she rolled over and thrashed her flippers around. The multitude of small, tooth-like spines lacerated the Outcast's green skin. 

Playtime was over and Bry'eeba was hungry for the kill.

The Outcast squalled, trying to back away from the lashing flippers, but Bry'eeba was all over him. She bit onto his right flipper, her teeth crunching bone. She yanked hard, enjoying the wet pop and anguished howl of her victim when she pulled the flipper free of his body. She let it drop, coiling blood, to the sea floor. She turned her maddened eyes to the white and pink gap left by her actions. Hungrily she rammed her snout into the hole, thrashing and biting and growling with pleasure. Blood was inside of here…blood blood blood…it overwhelmed her and filled her with a rush, a high that was explosive. 

No no no…wait.

She backed away, shaking her head. Not so fast. She couldn't break her toy just yet. When her vision had cleared, she looked at the Outcast.

He drifted, his muscles twitching slightly. A constant staccato of clicks echoed in the water. Blood poured from his horrendous wound, billowing in the water like the red clouds of sunset.

Bry'eeba realized that there was no more fight in this dolphin. She could do as she pleased without being disturbed. The bastard was still alive of course, but might not be able to feel anything. The thought dismayed her a little. She swam up to him. She closed her powerful jaws over his dorsal ridge, the flatness just past the dorsal fin. She bit as hard as she could, shaking her head a little, towing the dolphin around in red circles as she did. She wanted things to crunch, things to snap, thing to break. Irritated, she moved her grip to his head, biting numerous times, barely missing the tightly closed eyes. She charged him again and again, watching the green skin mottle with red and purple bruises. She executed a tight roll around his body, slicing more skin with her flippers. She was beginning to get lost in all the blood…she should let go it was much more fun…

The next thing she knew she was surfacing for air, nearly half drowned. She had been under for a long time. She descended and found the badly mutilated corpse of the Outcast. The blood had cleared out, leaving only a faint coppery taste and a lifeless shell. 

Huge gashes covered his sides, his right flipper and dorsal fin were missing, his gill slits had been ripped open, and huge hematomas under the skin suggested massive internal bleeding. The green skin was hardly recognizable through all the damage.

Bry'eeba smile to herself, very, very pleased. She was an artist. That was it. An artist. Even though artists weren't allowed in the Clan. She left the dead creature to rot. 

Now that her little excursion was over, she had business to attend to.

******

Taniael felt his heart stop. He felt tears slip from his eyes to mingle with the salt around him as he gazed sadly into the half-lidded eyes of his brother, dead and staring. No more would life sparkle exuberantly from those eyes. No laughter would erupt from the slowly stiffening, slack jaw. No longer would he joke about their poor living conditions at home, easing the tension and worry. His brother lay at the bottom of the seafloor, pieces of his body strewn about. Dead…he was dead.

The Outcast felt his heart stop, frozen momentarily. He then felt it beat again. It beat with painful fire. The Clan…

One of those monsters had done this to his brother. One of them had tortured and killed him with no reason other than the pleasure elicited by his pain. 

Taniel narrowed his eyes and looked angrily in the direction of the Clan's city. Someday…

But now was not the time. He had to go home. He had to tell Papá. He had to tell—oh, gods, he had to tell Mamá. His could already imagine seeing the look in her eyes when he told her that her youngest son was dead. It was going to break her heart. 

He turned sadly from his brother's body and left. The grief that clutched him was not severe. It hadn't hit him quite yet.

He would tell the village counsel. They would have to confront the Clan's board members. They would find who did this and punish them. They had to! It was only civil, right? But something told him that the Clan would not help. They would ignore them. They always did.

Taniel crested the rocky ledge that surrounded his small village. He looked at it sadly, taking in the dilapidated huts and large weavings laced with the Eternal Spiral design meant to brighten the village's poor condition. Taniel thought it was a wasted effort by his mother and the other weavers. He stopped a moment by an ancient sea tree. 

Sea trees, actually a woody plant and an autotrophic coral combined into a single mutual organism, grew slowly, starting as low coral shelves that hugged the sea floor. Gradually, after many years had passed, the main head grow upwards on a thick woody stem. It would only stop growing until the head, supported by thousands of branches, rested just below the surface of the water to catch the sunlight for photosynthesis. Sometimes a sea tree would bud another head, supporting two or three coral systems atop the trunk. The sea tree would then seek out other sea trees, growing elaborately curled branches that stretched for thousands of feet until joining another sea tree. 

Taniel's village had three of the mature trees as well as several of the low, young buds growing in various locations. The huge limbs of the adult trees arced over the small huts like giant eels, looping with no obvious direction or end until reaching another sea tree. All three were connected by the bizarre growths, but why? No one knew. They had been there for hundreds of years and were a familiar sight to all.

This particular tree was a place of many memories, all of which were painfully sad now. It was the ceremony tree, the place of Namings and birthdays and holidays. A place that he and his little brother had enjoyed many happy memories together. He turned away from it quickly, before the tears could begin again. He swam slowly into the village, passing the main cluster of huts where the counsel met, passing the small children playing with an old fish head, nothing more than a bony mask. Upon seeing them he felt the anger tighten his chest again. His brother was still young…he was soon to be sub-adult. He had been so excited.

__

If they can kill my little brother, he though, thinking of the Clan, _then they could kill any one of these children._

The calves stopped their game momentarily to watch Taniel with solemn, dark eyes. They knew the depths of poverty but made do with whatever they could find, playing together so to lose themselves and forget their sad situation.

Taniel passed them without any greeting. He could see stone tablets engraved with his family's symbols on both sides of the path leading to the opening of his family's hut. He paused a moment before entering. His father turned to see him.

"Papá…" he began. "I have horrible news."

******

The tall doors of the inner city opened to welcome Bry'eeba. She entered the stone walls of the massive underwater city with a brief salute to the soldier at the gate. He barely acknowledged her. He did not deem her worthy of his notice, for she lacked the mark of rank.

__

Whatever, thought Bry'eeba. Soon enough she would join their numbers. Soon enough she would surpass them and they would bow and scrape before her and she would be the one ignoring them with disdain. She would become as powerful as the Mutaclone himself!

A year old and already she had ambitious, treasonous thoughts.

She cruised the inner wall of the outer city, avoiding the bustling interior for the moment. A platoon of red, yellow, and white soldiers passed her by in great haste. She watched them go with their exquisite order and rhythm. Each tail pumped in unison. The wedge shaped formation was a perfect triangle. 

Her coloration was nearly the same as theirs, only she lacked the mottled blue spots flecking the upper sides, and the duo-spine, the mark of rank. The change of coloration was caused by the genius of the Mutaclone…genetic alteration through controlled amounts of selective radiation. Such radiation had the influence of steroids…the dolphins became larger, more powerful, yet still retained their speed and vitality. Other physical changes included the alteration of skin color, critical for rank identification. The Great Ones had become warped beyond any natural dolphin's worse nightmare, and could survive trials of heat and cold, poison and explosives, and most important of all, disease and age.

Bry'eeba felt a shiver of excitement run through her. Oh, to attain such power would be far sweeter than anything she could possibly imagine!

A deep grunt of annoyance brought her back to reality. She looked around just as she was roughly shoved aside by the bulk of a male soldier. His back spines grazed her shoulder, not really hurting but enraging her all the same. She snarled at him, baring her sharp conical teeth and tiny tusk buds.

The soldier whirled on her, glaring with baleful red eyes at the brat's insolence.

"Piece of whale shit!" he hissed. "You dare to challenge me? Back down before I decide to rip your throat out." He huffed loudly and stared Bry'eeba in the face, his strong snout a few scant inches from her own.

She stared back defiantly for a moment, her youthful impatience getting the better of her. _Stop you fool!_ She though to herself angrily._ You're not ready yet._

Bry'eeba dropped her gaze and backed slowly away, hating her weakness, hating the gloat thatdrooled from the soldiers face. She felt pathetic, but she knew there was no other choice.

"Ahaha!" the soldier sneered as he turned away. "Puny little Outcast lover. Its good that you know who your betters are." The soldier swam off, flicking his tail flukes against her lower jaw. An insult.

Inwardly Bry'eeba seethed. She would have him! She would challenge him and become one of the Clan! That bastard had just sealed his fate.

But first…business.

Bry'eeba continued her swim along the wall of the outer city until she reached the circular door of the House. She blasted the key with encrypted sonar and waited while it processed, identified, and passed her code. The door slid open. Once inside the domed room she snatched a quick breath of air from one of the bowls of oxygen placed at various points of the complex. She rounded the huge columns supporting the dome, noting with some disgust the large shelves of teal spotted brown fungus encrusting the pillars. The door ahead of her snapped open and she traveled the length of the tunnel before her to reach the main room. 

The main room was the place of the monitoring systems equipped for the city. A large data screen displayed a brightly lit map of the city, flickering every now and then with activity. Above and to the right of the main screen were five smaller screens. These vid screens were for security purposes. Should a wayward shark or Outcast be foolish enough to approach the city, she and the other dolphins in charge of security would be responsible for notifying the proper authorities. 

However, at this moment, Bry'eeba ignored the vids. Instead, she searched through the shifting bodies of other dolphins, intent on finding her supervisor.

There were few Clan members in this part of the facility. Most of the dolphins here were young like her, or dolphins never recruited for the Clan. Others, like her supervisor, were old and retired soldiers whom never got promoted to bigger and better things.

Bry'eeba was too impatient to wait around to be picked up by the recruiting scouts.

Finally, the old battle scarred form of her supervisor met her eyes. Eagerly she went up to him.

He was barking orders to a pair of newbie calves, his countenance dark with a scowl. When he looked up and saw Bry'eeba approaching, the scowl grew even deeper. He shooed the newbies away to face her irritably. 

"You are late 9234," he said gruffly, using her serial number instead of her name. "And it's the third time this week. One more time niner! One more time and I'll—"

Snapping her jaws and growling deep in her throat, Bry'eeba interrupted. "Shut up dotard! I've had enough of your hot whale farts steaming down my neck all the time. I am in control of this facility now."

She cast a hard stare around the room. "From this moment on out I am in charge!" she yelled. "This weakling is no longer your master. I am—and it would do you well to follow my orders as soon as they are given."

The old soldier was sputtering. "How dare you! I will see you killed for this! Treasonous bitch—I'll kill you myself—!"

Bry'eeba whirled on him. "I thought I told you to shut…UP!" She rammed the older dolphin in the eye with all her strength. The soldier howled in agony as he backed away, his eye punctured and trailing blood. 

The other dolphins in the room grew restless. The taste of blood laced the still water. Who was this mad creature? They eyed the blinded soldier with unease.

The young soldiers passing through gave no thought to stop. They had other business, much more _important_ business to deal with. They had no time to get involved with a minor skirmish among the dregs of the Clan race. Just as Bry'eeba had planned…

The other young dolphins, non-recruits like herself, were too unsure of themselves. Clan dolphins made no friends. They barely knew each other. The only tightly knit groups were the platoons. Then it was trust and respect, not friendship, which held them together. So how were they to know that Bry'eeba was lying? One of the newbies narrowed her pale eyes.

"Where's your mark of rank?" she asked suspiciously.

Bry'eeba stilled in the water, still as death save the slow turning of her head in the calf's direction. 

"How dare you question my authority," she rumbled softly. "My mark is soon in coming, not that it's any of your business. I am under orders to weed out the garbage in the precinct. It starts with the removal of that…" she indicated the curled, whimpering form of her former supervisor, "and…YOU!" She charged the calf, whose eyes widened and couldn't move before Bry'eeba had sliced her back spines around her neck, spilling clouds of hot, rich blood into the water. 

The calf moaned, rolling her eyes up into the sockets as she bled out. Bry'eeba ignored her as she paced the room, swimming back and forth in front of the crowd. She took stock of what she had left. Eight like herself, and one newbie. This was going to be a cinch. She reverted her attention to the maimed soldier.

She swam over to him, nipping his sides.

"Listen up," she whispered to him, out of ear-shot from the other dolphins. "I'm going to let you live if and only IF you cooperate and do everything I say. Is that clear?"

The soldier glared at her with his one good eye. "Suck my dick," he hissed.

"Wrong answer."

Bry'eeba hooked her flipper teeth into the soldiers back, scornfully noting how blunt and broken his back spines were. _They should have killed you long ago dry old fart._ She dragged him bodily into the adjacent room, despite his larger size. He was old and arthritis hindered most of his movements and sapped his strength. She unhooked her claws and shut the door with a brief sonar burst to the yellow button perched on the floor. Aside from the button, the only other object in the room was an oxy tank. 

Without warning, Bry'eeba rammed her snout into the soft underbelly of the soldier. He bellowed and large bubbles exploded from his blowhole to shimmer erratically in the yellow glow of the panel. He stared dumfounded for an instant. 

Bry'eeba nudged him gently to the air tank. He leaned over it, his blowhole snapping open and closed, gasping. His eye was closed and his breathing was racked and painful.

"Now, shall we try this again?"

The soldier opened his eye to look at her, hatred emanating in thick, black waves. He said nothing.

"Hm, good. I assume my your silence that you have decided to cooperate. Excellent. Now you shall live," she burbled in a jaunty tone. 

"Now I need the access codes to the mainframe, vid screens, lounge, and power room. I also require the location of the maps to the inner city, Outcast village, and water tubes. I assume you know the address? Good. Start talking."

The dolphin held his flippers tight against his body. "So what if I don't tell you? Eh? So what if you kill me then what'll you do? You need me."

"Oh but sir, you are incorrect. I will simply inform the authorities of your sudden death and that I was your replacement in training. They'll think nothing of the missing mark because, phah, who needs to be a clan member to do simple maintenance and custodial duties? You see, this way, you will get to live the rest of your pathetic life in peace, away from all the stress of clan life. I'm offering you a backdoor, sir. I advise you take it gracefully. And exiled you will be so don't get any ideas about telling someone. If they ever found out you'd been overthrown by a meager calf like myself, why, they'd have you court marshaled and killed in an instant."

The soldier felt defeat crumple his chest. Or perhaps it was the crushing blow of that back stabbing bitch's muzzle he had received. No matter. She was right. Begrudgingly he told her all she needed to know. _I'll get her somehow!_ he thought angrily. He painfully swam to the opposite door, waiting for her to open it.

"Oh wait I forgot something!" she called.

Wearily the soldier turned. "What?" he snarled.

"You have to die now."

He felt his blood run cold and his heart stop. "But…b-but you promised!" he stammered, knowing he should be ashamed of his weakness but not caring.

She rolled her flippers in a shrug. "I lied. I mean, come on, who do you think they'd believe…me, a young little brat, or you, a seasoned old warrior? Haha, how stupid you are. And to think, you actually gave me the correct codes. You deserve to die."

The soldier stared, numb. She was right. He had told her all the correct codes. He could have easily lied and she would have never known! Too late to bluff now…the very look on his face gave it all away.

Bry'eeba took much joy in killing the old fool. How stupid a creature had managed to survive that long she would never know. 

She exited the small room, swam to the comm and pressed its pink button.

When it buzzed she said in a calm voice, "Custodial duties requested for surveillance room A. Bio clean up team required for two organics. Oh and new filtration screens will need to be installed in vents 12, 13, 17, and 22. Yes. Yes. Right away." She hit the button again and broke the link.

She turned her red eyed stare to the room. They stared at her, the younger ones twitching nervously, the older ones gazing with knowing looks. They knew she was lying but knew better than challenge her. They were too old, not able to handle her power.

Bry'eeba smiled to herself. A cinch.

But she was not done yet.

"I assume you all know your duties," she said coldly, daring anyone to speak. "Proceed with your regular routines. I have an errand to run. You…yes you. You are in charge until I return. Make sure everything runs smoothly or you'll feel my talons in your gut. Understand? Good."

She swam out of the silent room and left the facility. She retraced her route from that morning, searching. 

__

Where would I _go? _she thought to herself. Reluctantly she turned and faced the direction of the gates to the inner city. She had to venture there now.

Bry'eeba hated the inner city. It was too crowded, too disorganized. Her rank denied her access to the more interesting areas like the power room, the ceremonial rooms and activities, the generals' offices, and most interesting of all, the hanging waters generator. However, that was all about to change.

Growling to herself, Bry'eeba followed the city wall until she reached it main gate. As with the outer gates, this one was guarded by bored soldiers. The three guards looked at her through lazy, hooded eyes. 

"Business?" one of them rumbled.

"Personal," she replied.

The guard shook his head. "No good. No clearance." He jerked his head. "Move along."

Bry'eeba was stunned for a moment. Since when did they deny access to the inner walls to Clan members? She was suspicious.

"I demand to let in!" she hissed. "You have no right to—"

Cursing, one of the other males swam up and nipped her snout. "Silence!" he yelled. "Dredge of life! You are not permitted entry today unless otherwise noted by one of rank. The Mutaclone and his Exalted Ones are making their rounds today. Come back tomorrow. Now leave before I have your hide for my wall!"

Brt'eeba shut her mouth. The three guards glared at her. Their spines were at full extension, dangerously high. Slowly, she backed away, her flippers tight against her body.

She left the gates, unsure now as to what she should do. Her plans would be ruined if she did not acquire her mark of rank soon. Today! If she failed to prove her story to the workers in the vid room, one of them would surely turn her in for treason. The thought worried her. She had left them alone, confident that nothing would go awry, and she would return with a fresh duo-spine gleaming on her flanks. Damn those freaks for choosing this day, of all days, to inspect the city.

She cruised the outer city mindlessly with no destination in mind. Few soldiers, if any, wandered empty plazas and shops. They were all inside the inner city, gawking at the Mutaclone and his two cronies. She stopped by a store selling fish and spices. Of all the arts, only the culinary arts were practiced. All other forms of art were prohibited. Art was a waste of time and therefore, useless. Only food could be put to use, so it stood good reason to allow culinary art. But even then, chefs were usually looked down upon.

She rested against the smooth brick of the building. Wafts of exotic fish and crustacean flavors tickled her tongue. Food preparation included stuffing fresh fish with other, smaller animals so the juices would mix and form new flavors. Spices and aqua herbs enhanced the taste. She briefly considered going in and ordering a meal, but quickly dispelled the thought. She had to devise a plan to get into the city.

A gigantic glass dome surrounded the inner city. Organic tubes criss-crossed to form a complicated network of passageways leading to various parts of the city. Daily traffic included soldiers making rounds, the unmarked running errands, and officials conducting business between Clan factions. Deep within the inner city was the control center of the entire metropolis. From there stemmed the tunnels that led to the hanging waters generator complex. It was Bry'eeba's dream to see those marvels of engineering for herself. Oh sure, she had seen them before on the vid screen, but she wanted to be there herself to feel the power surging through the water, to actually see aqua tubes shimmering thousands of feet above land and sea! She wanted to swim through them and gaze down at the earth and see it in all its incredible glory…and marvel at the power wielded by the Clan, the most powerful empire of all time! But….that had to wait. If she could not even acquire the duo-spine, she was would never attain her dreams. 

With a silent snarl, Bry'eeba focused on her present situation. If she were to be promoted, she would have to use her wits to breach security. But how, when security was so tight? 

A small flicker of motion caught her eye. Bry'eeba turned her head but saw nothing but an empty alley. _Hmmm…I know I saw something_, the thought, and sent a pulse of sonar into the dimness. Nothing registered. 

Another shadow flickered just out of her vision She whipped her head about and simultaneously blasted sonar. Again nothing! 

She snarled and swore. "Whoever is there, show yourself!" she demanded. 

Still waters responded. Bry'eeba looked all about, searching with red eyes. She swam into the alley where she had first seen…whatever she saw. She tasted the waters for scent, but none greeted her. Dammit! Was in no mood to deal with a prankster. 

She suddenly sensed a presence behind her. Turning, she found herself snout to snout with a dark, shadowy form.

Startled, Bry'eeba hastily back-finned until her spines brushed the back of the alley. The thing was ice cold! She gawked at it for a moment before snapping her jaws shut and getting angry with herself. _Coward!_ Within seconds of her surprise Bry'eeba had recovered her composure and attacked the form with mindless abandon.

She passed right through it! And as she did it seemed that the frigid Northern waters ran through her veins. Her breath was robbed from her and she felt frozen. So cold…so very very cold….

The shadow drifted toward Bry'eeba. She wanted to attack, wanted to flee! But her muscles were paralyzed by the bone-chilling cold and she could do nothing but stare in wide-eyed fear as the wraith approached her. If it touched her again she would die…her breath would be stolen forever and she would have failed in her mission in life. Nonononononono She shut her eyes.

When she opened them once more she found herself in a very large and dim earthenware room and realized she had freedom of movement once again. She was also starved of air. She looked around the room and quickly found a lit oxy fountain. It was the only light in the whole room. 

Bry'eeba swiftly swam to it and drank deeply of its life. When she finished her mad gulping, she felt the presence again. She probed the room with her sonar but found no exits. She turned slowly, apprehensively. 

The shadowy figure was almost lost in the darkness of the room. It drifted, its outline wavering. 

Bry'eeba eventually found her voice. "Who are you!" she demanded. "What…what do you want?" Her voice became weak as the shroud lifted and dispersed from the form to reveal a strange dolphin.

It was the most frightening thing Bry'eeba had ever seen. The dolphin seemed to be composed of transparent layers. Bry'eeba could see the muscles beneath the skin, the innards beneath the muscles, the bones beneath the innards. The bones were most prominent of all the layers. They seemed to glow.

The skeletal dolphin approached Bry'eeba. She could feel her sides twitching nervously and she hated herself for being so afraid. But what dolphin in a sane state of mind wouldn't be afraid? Especially now, when It was up close and she could see all the tiny veins at the skin, the pulse jerking slowly, the muscle fibers sliding over each other. The heart pulsed rhythmically. The eyes, dark and white, swiveled in their sockets and focused on her.

Bry'eeba stared in horror as it came within a few inches of her snout. Whispers and coughs vibrated in the surrounding air. The whispers eventually formed words. 

"Follow the tunnels…take the stone….bring what is dark to light."

And then she was alone.

Bry'eeba blinked. It was so quick…so sudden! She looked around. She was truly alone. What had just happened?

Her stupefied surprise and fear was short-lived, however. She got angry. _How dare they do this to me! How dare they take me to this place away from my goal…how…_She realized with a shock that there was no way out from the room. 

She inspected the room with a careful eye and sonar. Nothing. The only thing in the room was the oxy-tank. No! She'd starve to death in here! Her body would remain forever entombed in these walls. She would rot away and no one would ever know about her.

Caught by a sudden attack of claustrophobia the young Clan dolphin slammed her body into the thick concrete walls. Again and again she tested her body against the ungiving wall. Soon she was so worn out and racked by pain that it was all she could do to swim to the oxy-tank.

She lay there for several minutes breathing deeply and slowly. Discipline took control and dispelled her fog of fear. Soon she was clear headed again.

Whispers.

Her heart began to race again and she swam around the room nervously, but stayed calm. When It did not appear she relaxed once more.

Whispers.

The minute sounds tickled her ears and she frowned in annoyance. This time she concentrated on the sounds. They sounded like whispers at first. Light and feathery. Then it took the sound of a babbling brook, chortling and resonate. As she listened, her eyes slowly focused on a wavy current flowing to the far end of the room. She stared at it hard, realizing that the sounds were coming from there. Intrigued, she swam closer. The current was translucent, like trying to see through a cloud of plankton. As she got closer she realized it wasn't a current but a tunnel. A strange, nearly invisible ghost tunnel. 

__

"Follow the tunnels…" It had said. Bry'eeba growled, only to hear herself. She looked at the tunnel, following its path with her eyes. It led straight into the wall. 

Of course it would. Where else could it go? Bry'eeba sighed, letting out several large bubbles. She watched them flash in the light. They gathered at the top of the room, then slowly disappeared as the oxy-tank recycled her air. 

She turned back to the undulating tunnel. The noises continued, yet this time they had a clear delphine note. The noises drew her in closer. What were they saying? What archaic language is this?

As soon as she realized what she was doing, she pulled back. But now the desire to explore the tunnel was greater than before. _Oh, what the hell?_ She thought. Would it really hurt?

She stuck her head into the ghost tunnel.

End of Chapter One


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The meeting stone was worn hollow by ancient currents of seawater rushing in and out from what used to be cave at sea~level.  The booming tide had carved the living stone for thousands of years before ocean levels rose worldwide and submerged the cave.  Now it served as the meeting place for tribe elders and council members. 

The Outcast dolphins twittered and chirred with each other, their quiet conversations buzzing in the tense waters.  Wide dark eyes caught the meager light as the sun set and filtered its dying rays past the shifting waves. Several were silent, their hearts torn and spirits dulled. 

Taniel was one of the quiet ones. He felt empty now that his dark responsibility had been fulfilled.  

When he told his father what had happened he did not know what to expect. His guesses were hollow and he had no desire to fill them.  His father had at first said nothing, only staring at him with a questioning look, searching his face for a sign of hope or…some kind of joke.  Then his mother had appeared, and Taniel made as if to speak but his father had silenced him with a sharp glance.  He swam to Taniel's mother and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes narrowed and she clapped her teeth in question, but she followed her mate into the next room, out of Tanial's sight.

It was not long before a horrible keening noise cut the water and sliced Taniel's heart to the core. His emotions shattered, and soon his cries joined his mother's in torturous lament.

Now he was spent and felt empty, a husk drifting among the waves.  It all seemed unreal, for it was not but that morning that his brother had left, grinning, saying he would forage something special for Mama and Papa--perhaps bring some light to their dull and weary eyes.  He always was thinking of others. Now he was dead, too soon, too cruel.  Taniel stared above him, watching the mosaic of motion above him.  Light danced like fluid stars as it changed from pink to yellow to pale orange red.  

The whispers and buzzing stopped abruptly and brought Taniel to attention.  The Council Elders were slowly making their way through the crowd.  They reached the center and faced out, tails down and heads up.  There were 9 of them, all old and wise, their ear dimples puckered and wrinkled with age, and bodies slightly bent. Five females and four males looked all around them, meeting the many dark eyes one by one. Their own eyes were blank and clouded, shrouding whatever they themselves might be feeling.  One of the Elders rose slightly higher than the others.

"It is with a heavy heart that I call this meeting," said Affela, the oldest of the council and the matriarch.  "A terrible crime has been committed and it is the duty of this council to plan a course of action.  For those of you who may not have heard, we lost a member of our pod today.  Young Heytcha was killed by a Clan member early this morning. He is survived by his parents, Li and Ly Kep, and his older brother, Tanial, who has joined us tonight in place of his parents, who are to grief stricken to leave their home."  She gave a quick nod in Tanial's direction.  "It was Tanial who witnessed the murder."  Many whirs and chirps sounded at that, but quickly died down as Affela continued her speech.  "Li~Taniel says that he heard his brother's cries for help, but was too far away to save Heytcha.  He says that by the time he had arrived at the scene, the Clan member had already killed Heytcha and there was nothing he could do." 

Affela sank as N'yil, one of the male Elders, rose.  "However difficult this may be, we must first surmise why the Clan dolphin attacked in the first place.  Was it provoked?  Did Heytcha inadvertently anger the beast?  What drove it to kill?"

"I'll tell you what!" one of the dolphins in the crowd yelled.  "They're bloodthirsty killers that's what!"  Several voices murmured in assent.   

Another female of the Elders clapped her beak.  "Now be quiet!  We are civilized phins here and we will not tolerate such brashness."

"No!" cried Tanial, unable to control himself.  All eyes focused on him and he became acutely self conscience.

N'yil opened his beak to silence him but Affela waved her flippers.  "Let him speak."  N'yil sank into place and Tanial dutifully rose.

"I saw this Clan monster with my brother.  I saw its eyes.  It took pleasure from his pain.  It tortured him to death!  My brother would never have done anything to anyone.  This was cruel, pre-meditated murder and the Clan should take responsibility for its actions!"  His voice cracked.

"And what should we do?" said Affela.  "Go to the Clan's Exalted Ones and demand justice?"

"Yes!"

Several sharp whistles and hisses met Tanial's vehement reply.

"Do you realize the absurdity of that suggestion?  Do you really think that we can just swim into the city like we have any right to do so?  We are _Outcasts_, young one, and that title holds meaning.  We are banished forever from Clan society. We are invisible to them."

"If we are so invisible then why don't leave us alone?" cried a distraught female.  "This is not the first attack, nor will it be the last!"

"What _can_ we do?" said Tanial.  "Why isn't there any way to combat them?"

"Should we flee?"

"No!  We've lived here for generations.  We can't just abandon the cove. It's out home."

"Well we can't fight them.  They are killing our children! What will we do when a whole army of Clan beasts invades our village?  They'll do it someday mark my words."

The whole council was buzzing with fear and anger.  They ignored the Elder's sharp clicks for order.  Tanial heard someone calling his name very close to his ear.  He turned to see Affela, N'yil, and another Elder male, Sertway.  

Affela's dark black eyes swept Tanial's face as she spoke.  "You've caused quite a mess here Tanial.  Follow us to the center."

He felt a sudden flare of pain.  He clicked angrily as he saw where Sertway had nipped his flipper.  He glared at the old one.

"Move," Sertway grunted.

The Elders told him to stand up tall so he could be seen.  From his vantage, he saw his kind squawking and whistling at each other, all torn and frightened.  Several scuffles had broken out and they were butting and nipping each other.  He thought of his brother.  They had beached his body on the sandy shores not far from the village.  There he could rest free of sharks and breathe the sweet tropical air for all eternity.  If only he had not been killed, he thought sadly.  What would he want them to do?  Protect each other for sure.  But look at us! He thought dismally.  Fighting amongst ourselves.  That's what the Clan would like us to do.  Then they could move in and kill us all.

"Listen to us!" Affela shouted over the din.  "Here we have the victim of the beast's attack."  The conversations died off as she continued.  "Here we have the loudest voice for justice.  Here we have the one who will go to the city and plead on our behalf."

Tanial felt his heart skip.  "What?!"  He looked down at the nine elders.

"Shh!" hissed a female, Friell.

"Tanial has volunteered to meet before the Clan and discuss punishment for the perpetrator of this crime.  He leaves tonight and will be at the gates by dawn.  If any of you are as brave and have the same strong beliefs, you are welcome to join him."

The sun had finally set and a sudden darkness washed the through the water.  Dozens of glittering eyes stared at him in awe and disbelief.  His heart hammered in his chest and his gills worked furiously. What were these old crones up to?  He cast them an angry look but said nothing. Not now. Not in front of everyone.  He pressed a tight smile and nodded at the group.

Whistles of approval broke out amongst the group.  "Bravo!"  "He's so brave."  "Amazing."  "What will become of him?"

What will become of me? he wondered as he as he dropped out if the spotlight and followed the Council out of the Meeting Place and listened to the crowd disperse.  Affela and Friell flanked him.  He kept giving them sharp glances and small, angry buzzes.  They ignored him, and they all swam in silence to the far edges of the village.  Two other dolphins, neither of which he knew very well, were waiting for them at the entrance of the Council's hut.

Their flippers flared for a moment as they noticed the group's approach.  The two swam up to greet them.

Taniel felt their dark eyes pass over his body before they dipped their heads to the Elders and chirped respectfully.  Several Elders slowed to speak to them and Taniel was going  to do the same, but Friell and Affela pushed him forward, nuzzling him firmly into the hut.  Before he was out of earshot, he heard the two speaking to the three Elders that remained outside.

"We are here to join Taniel…" they began.

_Join me…_He pondered this for a moment while he was ushered into the stark room of the Elders.  

Without warning, Friell flipped and clubbed Taniel across the face with her powerful tail.  Black dots and red spines lanced his vision and his echo-vision was thrown off.  Disoriented, he struck out with concentrated bursts of sonar and charged.

His actions were met with fierce blows from several sharp snouts.  Each jab felt like fire and made him even angrier.

"What are you doing!" he yelled, his eyes squeezed tight and his body curling to protect his delicate gills.  "Stop!"

To his surprise, they did stop.  Gills fluttering rapidly, he cautiously opened his eyes and snapped his jaws together, a dire threat.  Snaps filled the room as the other dolphins did the same.

"You…were…out…of…line, brat!" growled Friella.  A sharp clap of teeth and hard rostrum punctuated each word.

N'yil swam close and brought his knobby muzzle close to Taniel's.  "You had no business stirring the pod up like that," he said.  "You have jeopardized the delicate balance of this situation.  Now they demand some form of _justice.  Do you realize how ridiculous that is? Justice?!"  His sharp eyes glittered menacingly.  "We are left alone for the most part, and they will continue to do so if we abide by their rules."  He nipped Taniel when he saw him open his beak in indignation.  "Some casualties are to be expected…"_

"Casualties?!" Taniel lost control of himself.  He lunged at N'yil and bit him as hard as he could, just below the left eye.  N'yil's scream of pain and rage reverberated in the room and Taniel had the grim satisfaction of seeing fear flash in the old one's eyes.  _Perhaps you feel a little of what my brother felt_, he thought grimly.

In an instant, there was chaos.  Elders surrounded him and he fought with tooth and tail.  He didn't care who he hit or where, he simply attacked.  Buzzes, whirrs, and squeals filled his ears as he sought for a way out.  At one point a dolphin backed away from him, shouting at him, and he rammed his snout against his flank, then bit his dorsal ridge and fled past him.  He swam as fast as he could out of the Center and into the open water.  He had planned to head for his parents hut and be free of these bigots, but several sets of teeth fastened onto his tail, slowing him enough so that more jaws were able to clamp onto his flippers and dorsal ridge.  His rage left him as abruptly as it had come, along with his strength.  He listed in the water as the Elders again surrounded him.

Affela had somehow avoided his attack and remained unscathed.  Her eyes however, were scathing.  Her flippers were flared wide and her head was low and cocked to the side.  All three were signs of extreme anger.

"How dare you attack the members of the council!" she said.

"How dare you attack me!" he yelled back.

"You are under our jurisdictions.  You have violated several most important laws, laws that bind this community together…"

"My brother was part of this community!  He did everything for this shithole!  He is _not_ a 'casualty' or statistic."

"_Silence!!_" Affela practically roared.  The vehemence in her voice surprised everyone.

"Taniel, your actions this evening are inexcusable.  You almost created a riot back there and went even further in provoking them by suggesting that someone go speak to the Clan, endangering more lives!  So it is you Taniel, that are to go to the gates.  How could you presume that someone else would run such a foolish errand?  You will go, and you will not come back.  We cannot sustain troublemakers in this community."  She turned away from him, leaving his mind full of one phrase: _You will not come back.  _

Exile.

He swallowed and looked from one face to the next.  Most were hard and resolute, but some held pity, as well as…shame?  He wasn't sure in the dark waters.

Exile.

He would have to leave his parents, his family, his friends.  He wouldn't be able to say goodbye.  Their faces swam in his mind.  Faces he had seen since he was a calf.  Faces that had connoted trust and security.  Some of those faces were ones of the Elders, who had betrayed Heytcha and himself.  He felt his heart harden and his blood run cool.  Such is life…

He looked around one last time, feeling an emptiness that was worse than the grief that had held him so tightly in its grip not but an hour before.  At least grief was something.  This was nothing.  A void. 

He swam away into the darkness of the waters, feeling eyes on his back the whole time.  Not even a slight chirp goodbye was said, and the coldness intensified.

Taniel swam past the outer rocks of the village.  Despite himself, he looked back.  The village lay in serene, moonlit waters.  The coral trees' gentle arcs and swirls added to the tranquility.  Quiet buzzes and dream songs permeated the aqua stillness.  Taniel sighed heavily.

Such is life…

A polite click caught his attention.  He faces the sound and saw the two dolphins who had volunteered to join him on his "mission."

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Li-Taniel," said one, a pale green dolphin with black spots freckled across his back.  He was obviously nervous for his gills were erratically working and he kept cocking his head.  "We came to help you speak to the Clan dolphins."

Taniel scowled.  "I'm not going to see the Clan.  I was banished.  I'm an Exile."

The other dolphin nodded.  "Yes, we know.  The Elders told us there was to be no mission since you were considered a troublemaker.  We did not believe them, so we went into the Center regardless of what they said."

"We entered the room and we saw you going ballistic!"  Admiration filled his voice.  "I've never heard of anyone attacking the Elders before."

"Aye.  What a scene! You are a remarkable fighter."  The pale one slid forward and Taniel saw thin trails of blood.

"Did…did I do that?" he asked.

The wounded dolphin nodded. "Aye.  But, it isn't all that bad.  It will heal.  The damage done by the Clan will not."  His eyes clouded over.  "Pacifism is not always the answer," he muttered.

The other, a small dolphin with yellow streaks behind each eye, nuzzled him.  He looked at Taniel out of the corner of his eye, his eyes telling him not to ask.

"Well, what do you want with me?"

"We already said!  We want to go into the city and speak to the beasts."

"They won't listen."

"If the do not…we will have to make them listen."

Taniel frowned.  Make them listen?  Why would they listen to us…we are mere Outcasts, deemed unworthy…His mind tripped over itself.  He had to change his ways of thinking.  Wasn't Haytcha's life just as important as some Clan member's?  Of course it was, and more!  Heytcha only cared for phins, not hurt them.  Why shouldn't they be listened to?  They had a voice!  They had pathetic lives while the Clan lived in luxury and grandeur.  Why the hell should they live in such poverty?  Because the Clan said so?  Who were they to run their lives? 

The more he thought, the angrier he became.  His anger felt good for it filled the dangerous void.  They would make them listen.  And if the Clan refused…Taniel thought about his fight with the elders.  It was the first time he had ever attacked anyone, in defense or offense.  Yet, he had almost managed to escape.  He had managed to wound several Elders.  The thoughts gave him hope, a small, tiny hope.  

He looked at the two.  "What are your names?"

"Mell," said the dark one.

"Derin" said the small one.

You really want to follow this through? Actually go to the gates and demand to be let in?"

Both nodded and clicked emphatically.

"You know we might be killed."

"We do not care," said Mell.  "We have nothing to lose."  Taniel wondered about that, but chose not to ask.

He turned and faced the open sands.  The city was beyond the low coral and sand.  If they swam without stopping, they could make the gates a little after midnight.  They could then rest and get some sleep.

"Let's go."

End Of Chapter 2


End file.
